The top-five of our “Top-25 Memphis Grizzlies of All-Time” begins with arguably the most underappreciated Memphis Grizzly to this day.
Pau Gasol spent his first seven seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, and during that time sent the Grizzlies to the NBA Playoffs three out of those seven seasons. Of course the question still gets asked, “why was Pau Gasol so undervalued by certain fans?”
There are several answers to this question. One, Pau was fresh out of playing Barcelona, Spain, and was a passive player. The passive style is how the European game is played, and NBA fans were just not used to seeing their best player turn down shots in hopes of finding a better one.
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Certain fans think that Gasol just was not as aggressive as he could have been. Similar to what we are seeing from Pau’s brother Marc. The progression of knowing when it is time to take over a game, and quit looking at others, and put the game in his hands. Marc now has that instinct on most nights, but there where nights that Pau just did not know when that time was.
It is not his fault, it is just how he was raised. Our parents taught us all a little something different then our friends parents, and Pau struggled knowing when to “go” in Memphis.
None of that takes away from the ground work that Pau laid for the future of this franchise. First cornerstone athlete that Memphis had seen, and brought arguably one of the worst franchises to the playoffs two years after their move from Vancouver.
| Season | Lg | Team | W | L | W/L% | Finish | Pace | Rel Pace | ORtg | Rel ORtg | DRtg | Rel DRtg | Playoffs | Top WS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-08 | NBA | Memphis Grizzlies | 22 | 60 | .268 | 5 | 95.3 | 2.9 | 105.0 | -2.5 | 111.4 | 3.9 | M. Miller (5.0) | |
| 2006-07 | NBA | Memphis Grizzlies | 22 | 60 | .268 | 5 | 93.6 | 1.7 | 106.9 | 0.4 | 112.3 | 5.8 | P. Gasol (6.9) | |
| 2005-06 | NBA | Memphis Grizzlies* | 49 | 33 | .598 | 3 | 86.3 | -4.2 | 105.9 | 5.8 | 101.6 | -4.6 | Lost W. Conf. 1st Rnd. | P. Gasol (12.0) |
| 2004-05 | NBA | Memphis Grizzlies* | 45 | 37 | .549 | 4 | 88.5 | -2.4 | 105.5 | -0.6 | 102.9 | -3.2 | Lost W. Conf. 1st Rnd. | S. Battier (7.8) |
| 2003-04 | NBA | Memphis Grizzlies* | 50 | 32 | .610 | 4 | 91.4 | 1.3 | 104.8 | 1.9 | 102.2 | -0.7 | Lost W. Conf. 1st Rnd. | J. Posey (10.0) |
| 2002-03 | NBA | Memphis Grizzlies | 28 | 54 | .341 | 6 | 92.7 | 1.7 | 103.9 | 0.3 | 107.3 | 3.7 | P. Gasol (8.5) | |
| 2001-02 | NBA | Memphis Grizzlies | 23 | 59 | .280 | 7 | 91.1 | 0.4 | 98.2 | -6.3 | 106.3 | 1.8 | P. Gasol (7.6) |
Not only that, but if your a Memphis Grizzlies fan, Pau was the first guy that we truly loved watching. Memphis’ first “must-watch” guy on a nightly basis. Pau cared about the city, and even helped this franchise draft his brother Marc when he was traded for that pick back in 2007.
After his seven seasons as a Grizzly, Pau was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers where he would win his NBA Championship with Kobe Bryant. The dynamic duo was phenomenal together as they took down the Boston Celtics.
Today, Pau is playing in San Antonio under one of the best coaches ever in Gregg Popovich. Pau is nearing the end of his Hall-of-Fame career while his brother Marc is in his prime years.
Both Gasols have been doubted by the city, but both, in their own ways, have stayed true to the city.